Disney’s “Paperman” + Planes at the Park
Watch Paperman: 6 min | Fold: 2 min | Fly: 15 min
If you haven’t seen Paperman, get ready for this beautiful, little Oscar-winner. It will warm your heart and inspire you to fly many planes from the highest peak. In fact, this short film inspired our Disney + Craft Series, because paper airplanes are the simplest of crafts—using ONE sheet of paper! So before you leave the office tonight, grab a few sheets of paper from the recycling bin. Pick up your kids from daycare and stop at a park. Take 20 minutes to fly some planes. Go home, cook dinner and watch Paperman to top off your evening. It will become a family favorite. Get flyin’!
Watch Paperman
Netflix: Disney Short Films Collection
Buy: iTunes | Google Play | YouTube | Amazon
Meet our Favorite Park-Lovers!
There’s no better family to fly planes at the park, than the Campbell family. Kacie and Rodney are the creators of #CampbellParkAdventures, whose mission is to play at every park in St. Louis—a true must-see. Their current tally is 40 and counting! As their kids grow, their ventures will grow to national parks. When I asked them to be guest contributors, they were more than happy to show how a few sheets of copier paper could be so much fun...at the park. Game ideas below!
Fold a Basic Dart
Folding planes is almost more fun than flying them. Once you master the basic dart, you can level up to master these cool designs from Fold N Fly.
Lay a sheet of copier paper on a flat surface. Fold in half.
Fold top corners to the center fold.
Fold in half again.
Fold outer edges down to create wings.
Ready for takeoff!
Let’s have a little flying contest...
Fly! Paper Airplane Game Ideas
Once you’ve amazed your kids with your flying skillz...do what Dwight Schrute did, and let them beat the socks off of you. (This is good parenting, people.) Here are a few ideas:
Trick: Fly planes from the top of a slide, banister or backyard deck. If there is a breeze, have your kids throw with the wind instead of into the wind. They’ll be experts in no time.
Go the Distance
Ages 2+. This is the classic starter game. Use rocks/sticks or tape to create a start line and finish line on the ground. Let your kids practice to get the hang of it. If you have toddlers, add a shorter finish line for them. (Parents can help them throw.) Award 5 points for each plane that crosses the finish line. Award 0 points for out of bounds. **Whoever wins 25 points first, wins.**
Hang Time
Ages 2+. This game is a great for windy days. Throw with the wind. Distance does not matter, hang time does! Award 5 points, per second in the air. (Parents can help the younger kids throw.) **Whoever wins 25 points first, wins.**
Hit the Bullseye
Ages 2+. Have the kids stand atop a slide, staircase or deck, and make a target on the ground, using found rocks/sticks (outdoors) and blue painters tape (indoors). Create a large circle, with center “X”. For younger kids, make the target larger and closer. For older kids, make the target smaller and farther away.
Award 5 points for each plane hitting INSIDE the circle. Award 10 points for each plane hitting the CENTER “X” of the target. For the risk-takers: You can choose to release as many planes as you want, to gain points quickly. But, if just ONE plane lands OUTSIDE the circle, you receive –5 points for your turn. **Whoever wins 50 points first, wins the game.**
Stunt Master
Ages 5+. Appoint someone to be judge. The more difficult the stunt, the greater the points. Each player decides their crazy stunt, and has 2 chances, per turn. Players can throw from whatever spot they choose, and try to make their plane do a stunt. Crazy Loops: 5 points per loop. Multiple Fliers: 1 point per flier. Creative Throwing from Playground Equipment: 5 points for effort, 10 points for difficulty. **Whoever wins 10 points first, wins the game.**
About Paperman
We love this romantic short film, directed by John Kahrs. I will never forget the first time I saw it as part of the 2013 Oscar-nominated Short Films, while on a date with my husband at the Tivoli. We introduced it to our son a year ago, and we now watch it as a family weekly.
This genius little film is notable for it’s lovely black-and-white rendering, paying homage to 2D storytelling. It was created with a ground-breaking technology called Meander—merging 2D drawing with CG technology. Producer Kristina Reed and John Kahrs “were blown away by the ability that [2D] line artists have to put expression just in a single line...when you’re trying to do that in the CG world it’s really, really hard, and you get very separated from the actual art.” The final hybrid-product is a “beautiful kizmet,” said producer Kristina Reed.
Character Design + Color Keys
Happy flyin’! And thank you, Campbell Family!
Check out our Pixar + Craft: “La Luna” + Glow-in-the-Dark Moon Puzzle
A note about the studios: Believe it or not Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar, are both owned by Disney. Yep. They are under one big roof. However, they do have separate projects. Hence, I will have some posts labeled Disney + Craft, others Pixar + Craft.
Sources: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
